Loss of Albert Pujols leaves Cardinals fans reeling

So hard, that security guards were posted at the bronze Pujols statue outside the slugger's restaurant in Westport Plaza, 20 miles west of town.

Long-time baseball analyst Peter Gammons observed that Pujols' legacy in St. Louis -- and the chance of him joining Cardinals legends like Stan Musial and Ozzie Smith among those in bronze outside of Busch Stadium -- has been greatly diminished by his decision to bolt to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

"We are disappointed that we were unable to reach an agreement to keep Albert Pujols in St. Louis," Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement. "Albert is a great champion and we will always be thankful for his many achievements in a Cardinals uniform, as well as his contributions to the St. Louis community. I would like our fans to know that we tried our best to make Albert a lifetime Cardinal but unfortunately we were unable to make it happen."

Despite a World Series championship banner that will fly in 2012, that comes as little consolation to a team already reeling from the retirement of manager Tony La Russa.

Cardinals fans are universally recognized as some of the most genteel in the game. But there is little holding some back as they express their sadness, and anger -- some of that anger directed at the size of today's contracts, not Pujols himself.

Fox2News in St. Louis posted a photo of Pujols' old No. 5 jersey by Jamei D. Phelps sprouting Angels' wings with the word "Sellout" replacing Pujols name on the back.

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